Turning Crimson • Jasper Hale

Family

I've never felt so worried.

I'm not going to see them.

Only leave a note.

Once we reached my village, it's as if my whole body couldn't stand to be there. Maybe it was the hunger, or maybe it was the nerves. But if I wanted to let Shep know that I am okay then I would have to push through this.

Luckily, it was quite late at night so the only people out were the vamps and local drunkards who would be called crazy should they say that they saw people with red eyes.

Walking down the same alleyways that I had grown up walking down was certainly something strange. I never thought that this place would feel foreign to me. After only just under a month being gone, I feel as if I've been gone an eternity.

The streets were lit with the dull glow of candles on their way out. The streets were as pungent as always but with the added rawness of having a whole new sense of smell made the stench almost unbearable.

I made sure that I stopped by the market place. It seems like such a distant memory of the past and yet it seems like only yesterday that Shepherd and I were walking down these cobbled streets without a care in the entire world.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when I felt Jaspers shadow creep up behind me in a way that I have grown used to,

"If you want to leave that note, I suggest that we do it soon." I turned around to the blonde haired man. I had never really taken in his features, but standing this close, you can't help but look,

"How'd you get all those scars Jasper?" He seemed shocked that I'd asked such a question, then he seemed sad. In that moment, I wish I hadn't have asked,

"When you train newborns, they can get pretty violent. Especially when they're hungry." He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal more scars, some fresh, some seemingly quite old,

"You know, no one has ever asked me about them before, people just generally try to ignore it." I looked at him and I couldn't help but feel sad. He seems so lonely despite the fact of having people around him who obviously cared for him,

"I can feel your sadness towards me you know?" Crap, I forgot about that,

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. No one deserves this." He looked down at his arms once more before pulling his sleeves down and crossing his arms across his chest,

"Well what's done is done, and what's past is past. I've moved on and I'm still moving on."

"Of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I've been told that I'm quite the interrogate when I want to be." He chuckled slightly and bowed his head so his hair was covering his face, it gave him a boyish appearance that I'd never seen on his face. I liked it, it made him look happy, it made him look free,

"Alright, enough chit chat. Let's get you something so you can write down that note for your brother." I nodded and he walked off to a nearby wall that was adorned with an assortment of posters. Some were outlining recent events, some top news stories but the one that caught my eye was the missing poster. Mine and my father's face, hastily sketched onto the paper which made the whole search seem as if it was a frantic one.

Jaspers hand covered the missing poster and ripped it down,

"This will be best I think." I looked at him in shock,

"Or the most sick?" He turned the paper over in his hands, "seriously what if Shepherd takes it as some sick joke, he might let on that he hated my dad but he still cared about him and if he sees my handwriting he think it's some prank by the neighbourhood people who never really liked my father."